April 11, 2012

Like mama sheep all over the world these days I'm in the throes of the birthing process. Instead of lambkins though what I'm delivering is a project, straight from my heart that I can't wait to share with you;

Because of my full immersion into this project these days I'm noticing I'm getting a little time greedy. For example when Craig announced he was going to take our kids climbing with friends Warren and Margo after Easter brunch eating my first thought wasn't how wonderful it would be to commune together as a family with beloved friends in the activity that tricked Craig into proposing marraige to me on top of a Spanish mountain. Oh, no, no. My first thought was:

Ooooo... imagine how much work I can get done in a nice, quiet, empty house.

But there was my inner voice, and of course that outer voice called Craig's, both of them saying sarcastically;

But still, for some reason I couldn't decided. So I did what I do when I'm grumpy and indecisive; I pouted.

Edie, the littlest genius with a keen eye for not so subtle body language, saw the pout and suggested a compromise. "Come for just a bit".

So I did.

And I ended up staying for longer than expected and just drank in the fun, the rays of Vitamin D and the sweetness epitomized in the face of a sun bathing puppy.

Thanks to Craig, and that flower-scented, crazy-making thin Spanish air that flung him into my arms, for bringing back into my radar the values we have hoped, all those many moons ago, would guide us to our idyllic family life.

Values like:

connecting with nature

adventure having

nurturing our friendships

embracing leisure

And this will be the juicy middle of the ecourse. Juicy stuff like tapping into our core family values that were so alive in us once, in less complicated times (ie before the lambkins were born) that perhaps need to be gently nudged back out into the sunshine. Even for just a little bit.

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Why not bring up the subject of values with your partner or co-parent? Try out writing separately the top three values you hope to pass on to your kids and then see how they match up. Maybe share yours or theirs or both down in the comment below if you feel so inspired!

April 09, 2012

For the last four Easter Good Fridays we make our way over to our neighbours' Easter Egg decorating potluck making it feel to me these days like the true hallmark of spring officially in the air.

Our neighbours are close enough we walk over safely and happily as a tribe but far enough that it still feels like a bit of a risky adventure. Especially when night begins to enclose in on us as we embark on our journey home after dinner.

Ukrainian Easter egg decorating happens at this get together and for the weeks leading up to Good Friday our whole family's got their egg-shaped thinking caps on commiserating what will adorn our eggs this year.

I felt compelled this year to commemorate the newest addition to our family, our mini dachsund puppy Angel, similarly to how Craig did a baby foot print on his egg the year Kale was born. The eggs are decorated with yolk intact and soon I'll be blowing them empty and hanging them on the Easter tree. Next year.

As a side note the Easter Tree did not happen yet as planed due to life excitement in so many other areas. Namely, the turbo torso number you see wrapping around my creation up there.

To make up for the lack of said tree I let the kids to go ahead and eat a whole, entire chocolate bunny to themselves for the first time in their lives for last night's dessert.

Mind you said bunnies were only about two inches tall. But still, Kale had yet to experience such a caffeine indulgence before (other than when in utero. And during his after latte nursings for his first three years) and was up singing Hot Cross Buns in bed until 3 in the morning.

And the point of the story my little egg is trying to tell. .. this here is the true source of all these magical Easter eggs delivered worldwide to children everywhere.

The muses made me do it.

I asked a fellow pot lucker if she thought that last touch was maybe a little too much. Perhaps even a little weird. She replied that it wasn't like me to be doing something weird.

I think I dected a tinch of Easter sarcasm in her voice.

Happy Easter!

love,

Kathy

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April 06, 2012

Happy Easter! Our friends find themselves with some fresh goat kids that we got to bottle feed again like last year. Does the cuteness ever stop?!?? And speaking of kids, cute and not stopping, here's a bonus song from mine sung while wearing his 'motorcycle suit' :)

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To make an even better Friday, be sure to enter my giveaway for a spot in my Backwoods Mama Spring Camp. Not feeling sew-sew? Sign up for my free ebook Handmade Time and score yourself a subscription to my weekly newsletter; The Mama Bliss Ezine here!

April 04, 2012

Welcome to the final interview of my series profiling some of my favourite Backwoods Mamas from my online sewing ecourse Backwoods Mama Spring Sew Camp. This is the lovely Karen from the blog Daily Dialect.

After the interview I have a little giveaway announcement to celebrate the fact that the snow is finally gone in these parts and I can see my garden beds and could possibly wear something other than my Sorrels for a few months :)

Hello Karen! It was so much fun to have you join us in the Spring Sew Camp! What inspired you to learn how to make your own clothes?

Since I was very young, I've loved designing and making clothes. In school I would doodle fashion designs on my papers all the time. Luckily, my mom signed us up for 4H and I learned sewing. I made a lot of my clothes until Jr High, when it became "uncool". By college, I was sewing again. I entered a couple of fashion shows that were sponsored by the school fashion department, even winning one of them! But I was an art major, and the fashion industry was not my style, so to speak, and I let it go.

These days, technology and online selling has allowed for various aesthetics and lifestyles to prevail in the fashion world, so there is hope for my fashion career yet... and Spring Sew Camp helped energize that dream again!

Hard to decide, but I'll say my favorite project is the top. One, because I wear it all the time and two, because it was very fun to learn to sew with knits, which I had not done much of previously. I was enthralled with the double needle... of course the cute bloomers and smock are great for gardening and the dress is a fabulous basic too.

It's hard to decide sometimes, hey? I like to wear them all at the same time. Luckily layering is huge out here in the deep woods. What does your inner Backwoods Mama look like?

I have a very do-it-yourself mentality. Not that I do everything myself, but I'd like to. I like tradition and old objects. Our home is 130 years old. I don't like to pick between living a country lifestyle and social city living, so we live in the town I grew up in, near the edge but still close enough to walk downtown. We're town dwellers with a permaculture-type garden but the social aspect of town makes up for the lack of a woodlot, and my dad brings us freshly chopped wood from their woods for our fireplace...

Awww... Dad! So, how did you find the ecourse itself? Did you find you got enough support and information?

It was very supportive and there are are a variety of ways to interact: the video, the flickr group, the written instructions, so whatever your preferred method of learning, you can tap into it. The ecourse was my first one ever and it is the only way I can take a class these days with the full time nature of parenting. I could go at my own pace, and the videos made it feel personal. The class kept me moving forward even after it was over; I made up my own projects and continued the fun!

Yay, continued fun! Speaking of fun, share with us your perfect day.

Wake up, make a hot breakfast for everyone in the family and while it cooks, I read blogs. Then we eat and start the day together. Scott goes to his office in the backyard to work and Lukas draws while I get ready for the day. Around 10, L and I go on a walk downtown for coffee (real backwoods of us!) and play with whomever we see downtown. Then home to make lunch, eat together as a family again, then more drawing time and mama has a nap or reading time for 20 minutes. Then some afternoon gardening or a creative indoor activity (or a babysitter arrives and I can do a more intense creative activity, like adult clothing sewing...) Then, make dinner, eat together, bath, bed for the little guy and a long bath for mama once he's asleep, then one or two of the following: blogging, writing, reading, movies, creative time time with Scott and another day is over!

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And with that another interview with a past participant is over and to celebrate the end of this series I want to give away a spot in my Backwoods Mama Sew Camp Ecourse to one lucky commenter. If you've Sew Camped it up already I can either give you a spot in the Indian Summer Camp, or if you've been there, done that, I can pass your winnings to a friend of your choosing.

Please leave a comment before on which prize you'd like, if it's for yourself or a friend and if you'd like to double your chances, leave a second comment letting me know if you've either tweeted, facebooked or blogged about this giveway. Comments will be closed on Saturday at noon PST and I'll announce the winner shortly thereafter. Good luck!!!

Comments closed for sure now! (I don't know if you caught this yesterday but I thought it was today and so we have two winners!). The second winner is Whitney from Lucky Beads Me! Yay! I'll be contacting you soon lucky lady ;)

April 02, 2012

We couldn't have hoped for a sweeter pup than little Mr Angel but I have to admit we are in the midst of an adjustment period. People aren't joking when they say it's like having a newborn; you know with all the getting up in the middle of the night and having to be aware of his whereabouts at all times.

This too shall pass but until then I'm applying my handy dandy Simplicity Parenting principles and utilizing too the Kaizen Muse creativity coaching tools I'm honing through my coaching certification process. Until then, I'm building much character and we're all falling in love fast with a little pudgy puppy and the sweet role he's slipping into in our family.

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To help you dive deeper into the Simplicity Parenting realm I'm excited to announce that sign ups for my Simplicity Parenting ecourse are just around the corner!!! Be sure to sign up for my Mama Bliss E-zine today to stay on top of the latest developments of this exciting opportunity to grow your simplifying and parenting love muscles!

March 31, 2012

Meet Amylynn! One of the first participants of my online sewing class, Backwoods Mama Spring Sew Camp and is now a sweet online buddy of mine. Amylynn lives just outside of Washington DC with her husband and small son, Jack. She blogs over at Farm Girl Studio.

Hi Amy. Tell me what inspires you to make your own clothes?

I got so tired last year of clothing that I was purchasing fall apart after only a few wears. This inspired me to make clothing that lasted, and I knew that was made from quality craftmanship. Also knowing that my clothing was unique and that I wasn't going to run into someone that had the same shirt design as me was a plus.

I come from a long line of artisans on my paternal side. They made clothing, furniture, quilts, utensils, baskets out of necessity, and grew their own food, raised and butchered their own animals. I think their spirits are guiding my way through this new way of life. I especially think my great-grandmother is smiling up in heaven knowing that I am passing along their sewing/quilting craftmanship.

Ooooo... I love that image; heavenly, smiling, great-grandma :) What Backwoods Mama philosphies do you like to embrace?

The importance of good quality food is very important to us. Knowing where our food comes from, which can be a little difficult city living. We just put in our first garden in our new home. I want to my son Jack to know where our vegtables come from, and they are not grown in the grocery store! We also joined a CSA and can visit the farm and take farms tours and visit the animals!

My Mother has just built a chicken coop. On our last visit we helped her get her new baby chicks in order and explained to Jack that our hard boiled eggs come from chickens. This summer we also to plan to can again. This time I plan to can with my brother who lives closer to us. Knowing what is in our foods is a good feeling!

I also want my son to know that clothing can be made and not bought and plan to teach him to sew when he is old enough. Right now he currently sits on my lap when he is super still and I show him how his pants are made.

So, how did you find the ecourse? Be honest ~ I promise I won't cry even though I'm super sleep deprived from house training a super cute puppy these days!

The course was amazing! Since I am a stay at home Momma and my husband travels alot I cannot get out as much and take classes. This class was like I was right there attending the class in person. I couldn't wait for my son to take his nap so I could get to work on the next project and check out the instructional video.

I considered myself a beginner with sewing machines, and didn't know too much on certain skills such as hems,and ruffels. Heck, I never made a pocket before or even sewed with knits! This class really made me more confident in sewing and made me want to sew more clothing!

Tell me Amy, what does your perfect Backwoods Mama day look like?

Being a stay at home Momma, I don't get too much time to myself. So this would be my day to reconnect with my spirit!

I would bring out my trusty sewing machine. I would relocate it to my kitchen table. I love my downstairs studio area but I miss being able to open up windows and listen to the birds outside and feel the soft spring breezes filter through our house. I would sew some sort of clothing for myself, not a difficult pattern so I can let in some creative energy.

Then I would go out to my garden in our backyard, and do what needs to be done for the day. Did I mention I love to garden in my pajamas? I love wearing my flannel pajama pants with little birds on it. They are one of my favorite PJ bottom's from an Amy Butler pattern. One of my New Year's resolutions was to wear my Pajama's more!

After my gardening duties I would take a nice hot bath with lavendar oil and bath salts. I would bring with me some nice reading material. Like the new Taproot Magazine, Dwell magazine or the Simplicity Parenting book.

A nice nap would be in order with no distractions. Just a nice restful nap! Aahhh, that sounds so good.

Then I would go downstairs and watch a movie that I have been wanting to see on Netflix or go downtairs to my basement studio and paint. I love painting on wood and mixing papers, and pencils to my work.

For dinner I would light up some bee's wax candles and eat a fresh garden salad before the boys come home from their adventurous day!

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Thank you Amylynn! You can have a cozy pajama pants wearing good time too by signing up for my Backwoods Mama Spring Ecourse here . And until end of day April 2nd I'll mail new sign ups the bonus of a hard copy of all the pattern pieces! Wohoo ~ paper!

March 30, 2012

I'd like to take a moment to thank my dad for driving nine hours straight from his place, across the border to the States, then straight on over to our place drop off this little guy:

My dad kept calling us on the road last Saturday informing us he's not sure if he can make it because he was considering turning around and keeping him due to his insane cuteness. But he persevered through the cramp-inducing adorableness and swung by our place around midnight.

He was then only able to stay over night then after Sunday morning pancakes he had to head back home to tend to a work project.

But before left he left me this sweet gift I wanted to share with you guys ~ this photo of him and my mom on their wedding day in 1964 in Peru.

That momement captured them just on the cusp on their adventure-filled 21 year marriage (like, literally adventure-filled. Like small airplane loaded with three small children and young, worried mother emergency landing in remote jungles amongst natives style adventures).

And then there is me these days. My idea of epic adventure is taking the afternooon off to drive out to the hotsprings. Oh, wait a minute, there's this baby puppy whining at my feet at the moment. Let the adventure begin!

Love,

Kathy

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Want to join me in my slow speed adventure called the pursuit of Mama Bliss? My ebook, The Bliss Filled Mama, is crammed with my personal approach to mama self-care and guarding time to embrace your creative needs while still parenting at optimum efficiency. Plus, with me reading it to you in the included audio, it's like we're best friends for a whole hour! BFF me now!

March 28, 2012

I'm excited to do a little series here profiling some of the sweet mamas that I've had the pleasure to meet through my sewing ecourse Backwoods Mama Spring Sew Camp. The best part of putting together this ecourse was establishing some special friendships with so many like-minded mamas.

The first profile we have here is of Nikki who happens to be one of those sweet bonus buddies. And speaking of bonus, hang on to the end of the interview to catch in on special offer to those who sign up for Spring Sew Camp before end of day April 2nd!

Nikki is a stay at home mama to two (Kelwyn 4 and Adeline 2) little ones, and wife to a loving and supportive husband. She blogs over at Wild Violets. She loves to bake, make herbal potions, knit, sew, quilt and do as much fiber spinning as she can. She also just welcomed a beautiful angora bunny, Violet Star, to her home for a sweet pet and, of course, fiber!

My favorite project from the Spring Sew Camp was the smock. I used a robin's egg blue linen fabric, lovely for the all the life returning around us this time of year. It is so comfy, functional and cute. I spend most of my days with my little ones outside playing, gardening, exploring and getting dirty. The big pockets are always handy as there seems to always be something my 2 need or want me to hold one of their treasures.

Those sound like some happy pockets! Tell me about your world. Like, how handmade are your surroundings?

I have bits of handmade all over my home. It fills me with love and joy to be surrounded by items others have made with their hands and hearts. Our couch has handmade pillows, quilts and crocheted afghans to bring comfort and warmth. My daughter's bed has a quilt made by her great Grandmother and a pink crocheted afghan given to me as a little girl from my Grandmother. My walls have beautiful prints from a dear friends art work. Handmade table linens and tea towels from my grandmothers, pottery in the kitchen, needle felted and knitted toy animals for my little ones, and more quilts than I could ever dream of to keep me warm as I knit through the winter.

Quilts! That is the new frontier I want to start dabbling in next. Would you mind telling our beautiful readers out there about your experience with Sew Camp itself?

The format of the sewing course was perfect for me. I was able to sew at night when the lilttle ones were asleep, from my computer and in my pajamas (hot chocolate or a glass of wine in hand too:)). I could watch your video tutorials as much as I needed, stop if something came up and take a day off if something came up. If I had a question about fabric or my sewing project you quickly responded to get me back on path. The patterns were easy to follow, fit nicely and turned out great!

Thank you Nikki! If that doesn't get sewing mamas to sign up then I don't know what will! Wait a minute, I think I just thought of something...

With purchase of Backwoods Mama Spring Sew Camp before I put Daisy to bed on April 2nd, participants will recieve, in the mail, a hardcopy of all the pattern pieces for all the Spring projects (hand drawn by moi) so you can bypass the whole printing out and taping together of patterns step and a love note scrawled onto a spring flavoured watercolor (hand or foot painted then handwritten by moi as well)! Lucky ladies!

Please ensure that your paypal address is the one you want the goods sent to, and if you want to be sure please email me your current mailing address.

Happy smock, bloomers, top and dress making!

Love,

Kathy

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Be sure to sign up for the weekly Mama Bliss E-zine to stay on top of all the news, specials and ways to nab more bits of bliss througout your busy mama-ing day. With sign up you also get my ebook Handmade Time: How to Squeeze in a Little More Crafting Everyday. Yay, more lucky ladies!